Improvement in preserving wood



2 Sheets Sheet 1. J, CALKINS.

Preserving Wood.

No. 78,514. Patented June 1868.

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2 Sheets ft ihee? 2.

1. CALKINS.

Preserving Wood Patented .una :2; @863.

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JAMES (lALKINS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRESERVING WOQD.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. *fifi ifi fi, dated June 2, 1968.

To all whom it may cancer Be it known that I, J AMEs GALKINS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in the mode of and apparatus for the treatment of wood and other materials for drying or preserving the same, or both; and that the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forms a full and complete specification of the same, in which I have set forth the nature and principles of my said improvements, together with what I claim as my invention and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent.

The present invention more particularly relates to the drying and preservation of wood, although its principles can be adapted to the drying and preservation of other materials; and the invention consists, first, in subjecting the wood or other material to be treated to the action of steam superheated by combining therewith the gaseous products of combustion in a closed chamber, as hereinafter set forth; second, first depriving the wood or other material of its contained moisture by means above described, in combination with the immediate subsequent application thereto, under pressure, of the vapors of oil or oleaginous matter, carbolic acid, or other preservative agent capable of vaporization before cooling or exposure to the atmosphere; third, in the apparatus, hereinafter described, for conducting these processess of drying and impregnation with economy and convenience, and without requiring the removal of the wood from the treating-chamber until after the completion of the operation.

I am aware that oleaginous vapors have been successfully employed in treating wood;

and the nature of my invention consists in a method of applyin g such vapors in direct combination with carbonic oxide or the gases generated by combustion in a closed chamber, and m the process by which said made in a succession of stages application is for rendering the treatment more effective.

In the process of drying wood for lumber, as well as in many other similar ope *ations, economy in the time and the amount of fuel required are considerations of the highest importance, as the operation is necessarily conducted upon an extended scale. I have found by experiments that a great saving in these respects is effected by the use of heat, applied as directly as possible to the lumber, lnstead of that which is radiated; hence, after forming steam in the usual manner and admitting it into the treating-chamber, an, a it performs the first ofiice of dissolving the resinous matter contained in the wood, I rasc the temperature or superheat it (to complete the dryln g by expelling the moisture contained in the interior pores and cells) by admitting into the same chamber, to commingle with the steam, the carbonic oxide and other gaseous products of the combustion of the furnace. These gases, being hot and dry, more rapidly superheat the steam than could be done by th .ne amount of caloric, if radiated througl a ii. or in any other manner, when applied s ately from the steam, effecting an importan .vin. g, while, from their containing more or less creosote, pyroligneous acid, and othe preservative agents, which penetrate deeply into the structure, they effect the preservative impregnation to a certain extent, and thereby diminish the amount of the secondary process required for that purpose.

1 In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 1s a plan view of the apparatus which I employ. Fig. 2 is a front elevation. Fig. is a transverse vertical section taken on. he plane of line a: as, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the plane of line 3 3 Fig. 1.

My apparatus consists, essentially, of a fur= nace provided with a chamber for generating steam and vaporizing the preserving agents, which I term the generator, and have marked A on the drawings; of reservoirs L M, for containing each a supply of water and oil, connected by pipes; and of the treating-chamber Y, in which the wood or other matter 1s oper atcd upon. I also employ an auxiliary chamber, Kf, which may advantageously be used in connection with my apparatus, as hereinafter explained, though not essential to its operation.

The generator contains a furnace-space, D, (F being the fire-grate,) with an air-chamber, K, below. The fire having been kindled, the doors of the furnace are closed, excluding the external air, which is supplied. in sufficient amount to support combustion through-a tube,

s, entering into chamber K. A. fan-blower,

, sion may be employed for this purpose.

The air, in ascending from K through the grate and fuel, is converted into the gases of combustion, which accumulate in chamber 1), immediately above which is the generatingchamber 0, containing, in the first part of the process, water only, the steam from which is conducted, through pipe B into the treatingchamber Y, which contains the lumber. Another pipe, D conducts the gases ofcombustion from the furnace also into the treatingchamber, where they commingle with the steam, and these mixed gases act directly on the lumber. The steam, moist at first, acts as a solvent to the cellulose, and subsequently, when sufficiently heated by the admitted gases,

to expel the contained moisture and leave the pores free to receive the olea-ginous vapors-of the secondary treatment.

The lumber having been sufficiently dried by this treatment, the cocks G and J are closed, retaining the pressure of the steam and gases in the treating-chamber, when the water is drawn from the generatingchamber, and the oleaginous fluid admitted from its reservoir M through the branches at a a of pipe P, when it is allowed to drip on the hot suriace of the generating-pan at several points at once, so as to facilitate its rapid vaporization. These branches may be increased in number, if desired, to quicken the process, and each is provided with a siphon, Q, the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter.

A quantity of the oleaginous vapor having been generated, the cock 0 is again opened to adnnt of its entering the treating-chamber. An escape-cock of this chamber is then opened to allow the steam and gases of the first stage of the process to escape, so as to not impede the entrance of the vapor. The vapor enters thepores of the wood, which are opened and prepared for its reception 'by the steam, and while in a'highly-heated state, and, to make its treatment the more effectual, the heat of the furnace is maintained at a degree which will insure a pressure upon the vapors as great as or greater than that previously exerted by the steam, so that it cannot fail to penetrate every portion, however minute the structure may be.

During the subjecting of the lumber to the vapor, the direct induction of the gases of combustion being closed, they are admitted into the treating-chamber through a coil, G Fi g. 4, which passes through the whole length of the chamber and discharges at H Fig. 1, heating .by radiation. By this means the temperature of the treatin g-chamber is maintained at the highest point and for any length of time required to insure perfect impregnation of the largest pieces of lumber. Connection between the generator and the auxiliary chamber K is effected by a like system of pipes, so that the steam and gases of combustion and the impregnating-vapors can be employed and A regulated in the same manner.

In order to have the supply of oil, tar, or

other liquid used for generating the vapor pass regularly from the storing-reservoirMto the generator, and not be interrupted by the back-pressure caused by the confining of the vapors, I employ a regulating device, whichv consists of a small dome, M placed upon the top of one or both of the treating-chambers. Within the external dome is a smaller one of the same shape, N opening into the chamber the two, which is filled with water up to the mouth of the cduction-pipe T Pipes .9 s, opening from the top of the inner dome N and bent downward to a point near the bottom of the water-space, allow the vapor or steam to discharge through the water when its pressure is suiiicient to overcome the gravity of the latter. As that depends upon the height of the annular column of water, it can be regulated with ease by raising or lowering the eductionpipe T which is made adjustable for that'purpose.

The bends or siphons Q Q of the pipe 1? mustbe less than the height of the column of water in the dome, so that the pressure will always be forward and not interrupt the steady flow of the oleaginous matter into the generator. The immediate use of the bends is to form traps to prevent the vapors from return ing from the pan to the storagetank M. This valve acts in the same manner to regulate the pressure of the steam in the treating-chamber.

To prevent the entrance of sparks into the treating-ch amber, diaphragms of wire-cloth are provided at J which intercept all cinders.

The arrows in 4. indicate the course of the air into and through the furnace of the generator. is reduced by opening the valve T? in the pipe T and allowing a portion of the air to pass around and enter above the grate.

Any preservative agent capable of liquefying and vaporizing by heat may be employed,

as coal-tar, bitumen, petroleum, creosote, carbolic acid, 850.

To insure the liquefaction of the substances in the tank M so that they will flow through the pipe P, a coil, P extends from the furnace into and around the bottom of the tank, by which hot air can be admitted through when required.

To enable steam to be generated morerapidly, a pipe, U, extends from the furnace-chamber D and enters near the top of the generatingchamber 0. This being provided with cinderarresters and valves, hot air may be directly admitted to the steam before it enters the treating-chamber.

, The treating-chamber is provided with doors and truckways in the usual manner, for admitting and removing the lumber.

The lire-grate l is adjustable, by raising and lowering, by means of screws G G, to regulate the intensity of the heat applied to the generating-chamber 0.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

VVhen the combustion is too rapid it 1. The employment of steam, in combina tion with the gases of combustion, generated as described, admitted together into the treat ing-chamber, for the drying of wood and other materials, substantially as set forth.

2. The process of preparing and treating wood or other material by means of steam and of superheated steam and carbonic oxide or the gases of combustion, and subsequently treatin g with the hot oleaginous vapors underpressure while in a hi ghly-heated condition from the previous treatment, substantially as described.

3. The described apparatus, consisting, essentially, of the generator A and its appurtenances, the treating chamber or chambers Y and K tanks M and L, with their several systems of pipes and cocks, arranged, combined, and operating substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

4. In combination with. the treating chamber or chambers and the generator, the watergage or regulator contained within the dome M or its equivalent, for regulating the pressure of the steam or vapors employed, operating substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the pipe U with the fire-chamber D and generatiu chamber 0, whereby the gases of combustion may be directly admitted into the steam-space, substantially as set forth.

The above specification oi" invention signed by me this 2d day of A u gust, 1867.

JAMES OALKINS.

Witnesses:

WM. F. MONAMARA, A. W. BROWN. 

